Abstract
This paper explores the concept of agnotology, the deliberate production of ignorance, within the context of modern scientific endeavors, particularly in the corporate and technological sectors. It examines how industries use various tactics to manipulate public understanding of scientific issues, often to protect profits and limit liability. The rise of private sector funding and the increasing reliance on technologies like AI and machine learning have exacerbated this process by making scientific inquiry more opaque and less accountable. Ultimately, we argue that as knowledge production becomes more entangled with corporate interests and technological systems, traditional methods of oversight and regulation are insufficient to combat the growing influence of agnotology.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Publication Date
8-4-2025
Document Type
Article
Department, Program, or Center
English, Department of
College
College of Liberal Arts
Recommended Citation
Ray, A., & Nolan, M. (2025). Artificial ignorance: Understanding the role of AI in modern agnotology . First Monday, 30(8). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v30i8.13890
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Included in
Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Epistemology Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons
